Security Council unanimously adopts new sanctions: Yonhap

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted new sanctions against North Korea on Monday, imposing caps on its imports of oil but stopping short of measures that could cripple the regime. The move comes in the wake of North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3.

The sanctions include a freeze on North Korean imports of crude oil at current levels of four million barrels a year and a cap on imports of refined petroleum products at two million barrels annually, or about half the current levels.

It is the first time the Security Council has targeted oil in its sanctions against the regime. The United States had pushed for a complete oil embargo to stop North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles aimed at the continental US.

But China and Russia, two of the five veto-wielding council members, reportedly balked at any move that could destabilize the impoverished country. Still, the restrictions on oil are expected to reduce North Korea's consumption of related products by 30 percent, according to experts and diplomats.

Resolution 2375 also includes a ban on exports of North Korean textiles, a key source of revenue for the regime, and restrictions on the use of North Korean workers overseas. North Korea is estimated to earn some $800 million and $200 million annually from the two sectors, respectively.

The resolution also prohibits North Korean imports of liquefied natural gas and condensates. Marking a step back from the original US draft, however, there is no travel ban or asset freeze against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un or his sister, Yo-jong.

Despite Washington's call for the use of "all necessary measures" to intercept and inspect blacklisted North Korean ships, the new resolution also limits such inspections to cases where the flag state approves.

The resolution demonstrates the international community's growing resolve to take action against North Korea, as its adoption comes only eight days after the nuclear test. Previous resolutions against North Korea -- of which there are eight since 2006 -- often took months to pass. The last resolution was adopted on August 5 after Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July.